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Public Health Science

Welcome from the Program Director

Thank you for your interest in our Public Health Science (PHSC) Program at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. I’m pleased to serve as the Director of such a vibrant and engaged community of students, supported by committed faculty and staff. Our students are interested in the breadth of public health issues, from the challenges of global pandemics to local health interventions and education campaigns, and everything in between. Their career interests span public health, medicine, research, allied health, and other related fields.

Public Health Science is a unique interdisciplinary program for the University of Maryland. We offer the degree at both our College Park and Shady Grove campuses, with the Shady Grove campus serving as a pipeline for area community college students transitioning into a bachelor’s degree program. The Shady Grove program has about 90 students currently enrolled. At College Park, PHSC has only been offered since 2014 but has already attracted over 750 majors! We graduated our first class from College Park in Spring 2016, with 17 graduates. We are proud of our program’s incredible diversity, with over half of these first graduates being minority women.

The curriculum for PHSC is equally unique among STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) degrees, engaging students in courses from every department in our School of Public Health, from epidemiology and biostatistics, to environmental health and health policy, to community health. These core knowledge areas of public health overlay a foundation in chemistry, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, genetics, and math, providing an outstanding foundation for students interested in public health and allied health career paths.

Students at both campuses can participate in PHSC beyond the classroom, from internships to student groups. For example, Students Engaged In Public Health (SEIPH) is a student group focused on pursuing their public health education beyond the classroom. Student advisory committees at both campuses provide important feedback about the student experience to our PHSC leadership team as we continually seek to provide the best possible educational environment.

If you are interested in joining Public Health Science, please reach out to us. We have experienced advising teams ready to help you determine if PHSC is the right degree program for you.